What are the Most Durable, Reliable, Robust Lever Action Rifles?

[SwampDweller]

I'm kind of back to the drawing board with what lever gun to get in the hopes of getting one that is as reliable and durable as a lever gun can be. First I was planning on the Uberti 1873 in .357, then my research raised concerns about shooting frequent amounts of .357 Magnum with the relatively weaker toggle link system.

Then I focused on the Winchester/Miroku 1892 in .357, but among CAS shooters there seem to be reported failure to fire issues with the rebounding hammer system and multi-piece firing pin of the Japanese-made current Winchesters.

Maybe I should look at simply getting a .30-30 like a Ruger-made Marlin 336, though I can't find any available right now. The Marlin 1894C in .357 is strong but the infamous "Marlin jam" with those is something I have seen personally and removes it from the running for me.

Potential solutions are getting a different caliber (.30-30 Marlin, .45 Colt Uberti 73, etc), or simply getting the Uberti 73 and limiting myself to only shooting .38 Special for normal shooting and only keep .357 in it for woods or defense use. I am open to suggestions.

[4RNR]

Winchester 1895? 5 rounds of 30-06!

They were battle tested on the Eastern front in WW1. Had issues with dirt and mud getting into the action. Ultimately the bolt action proved to be more durable and reliable but IDK how much trench warfare is matters to you.

To me, if im picking a 5 shot lever action the 30-06 is probably the best overall round to have but the rifle does have a 24in barrel and 42in overall weighing 8lbs. VS Marlin 336 in 30-30 6+1. Weighing 7.5lbs, 20in barrel, 38.5 overall. Slightly smaller, little less weight but adds 2 more rounds of 30-30.

Why not just go with a bolt action? Ruger makes the scout with detachable mags. You can do 223 or 308 as far as common calibers go. Already comes with irons and rail for RDS/Scope. Comes in 3, 5, 10 rounds for 308. 19in barrel, 40in overall, 7.3lbs with a 10rd mag

[SwampDweller]

Winchester 1895? 5 rounds of 30-06!

They were battle tested on the Eastern front in WW1. Had issues with dirt and mud getting into the action. Ultimately the bolt action proved to be more durable and reliable but IDK how much trench warfare is matters to you.

To me, if im picking a 5 shot lever action the 30-06 is probably the best overall round to have but the rifle does have a 24in barrel and 42in overall weighing 8lbs. VS Marlin 336 in 30-30 6+1. Weighing 7.5lbs, 20in barrel, 38.5 overall. Slightly smaller, little less weight but adds 2 more rounds of 30-30.

Why not just go with a bolt action? Ruger makes the scout with detachable mags. You can do 223 or 308 as far as common calibers go. Already comes with irons and rail for RDS/Scope. Comes in 3, 5, 10 rounds for 308. 19in barrel, 40in overall, 7.3lbs with a 10rd mag

I have a bolt action (bought on the advice early in this thread) and really like it. I do find the lever actions to be a bit quicker, though, especially if used as a woods defense gun or travel to gun unfriendly states. Thus I want a lever action in addition to my handy bolt actions.

[Borderland]

This thread has peaked my interest once again in a .357 lever rifle. I have a 4 year supply of brass, powder and SP primers. I do have several model 19's but I don't shoot .357 in those anymore. So really all I have now for .357 is a model 28. I'll never come close to using 5 lbs. of 2400 powder. When I go to the pistol range I usually shoot a 1911 or some other auto. I use those for HD and carry.

So off down the lever rifle rabbit hole I go one more time. I'll be looking at the ease of putting a receiver sight on it.

I know I said PCC's are a mistake but I think I was looking for rifle cartridge accuracy with the 77/357 I had. It just wasn't there, so like I generally do I over compensated and built a .223 precision bolt rifle. Smacking tiny little targets at 220 yds is fun but I have just as much fun hitting 18'' plates with my M-1 carbine at that distance.

The lever rifle won't be used for any hunting, cosplay, or HD. Just a 100 yd range toy.

This place sucks if you only have one safe.

[Malamute]

This thread has peaked my interest once again in a .357 lever rifle. I have a 4 year supply of brass, powder and SP primers. I do have several model 19's but I don't shoot .357 in those anymore. So really all I have now for .357 is a model 28. I'll never come close to using 5 lbs. of 2400 powder. When I go to the pistol range I usually shoot a 1911 or some other auto. I use those for HD and carry.

So off down the lever rifle rabbit hole I go one more time. I'll be looking at the ease of putting a receiver sight on it.

I know I said PCC's are a mistake but I think I was looking for rifle cartridge accuracy with the 77/357 I had. It just wasn't there, so like I generally do I over compensated and built a .223 precision bolt rifle. Smacking tiny little targets at 220 yds is fun but I have just as much fun hitting 18'' plates with my M-1 carbine at that distance.

The lever rifle won't be used for any hunting, cosplay, or HD. Just a 100 yd range toy.

This place sucks if you only have one safe.

I believe accuracy problems with the Ruger 77-357 guns was a thing, its not specific to the cartridge, but to Rugers execution of the idea somehow. They also had some problems with the 22 mags or 22 Hornets, I dont recall which, but do recall reading of discussions where people either spent a lot of time and effort finding good loads or just gave up and moved on to another gun. I was interested in a 77-357 until reading of the number of people saying they couldnt get theirs to shoot well. Seems like 4-6" groups was not unusual scoped. Ive shot 6" groups @ 100 yds with iron sighted revolvers and a hair better with the 22 kit on the Colt National Match auto, not what id be happy with in a rifle.

No, most levers wont shoot with good bolt guns, but some do shoot pretty well with ammo they prefer.

[gato naranja]

I'll be looking at the ease of putting a receiver sight on it.

I have found the Marlin 1894 to be the easy button vis-a-vis receiver sights and/or optics mounts. Nothing I have tried yet in .357 lever guns is perfect, and I somewhat diffidently settled on Marlins as "the compromise I dislike the least" (which sounds gloomier than it actually is).

[SwampDweller]

I have found the Marlin 1894 to be the easy button vis-a-vis receiver sights and/or optics mounts. Nothing I have tried yet in .357 lever guns is perfect, and I somewhat diffidently settled on Marlins as "the compromise I dislike the least" (which sounds gloomier than it actually is).

I like the look and feel of the Marlins, and by all accounts the new Ruger-made Marlins have very good QC. The reason I don't consider it is because of the "Marlin jam" with the 1894 .357s, something I did get to see in person. This video explains it better than I could (though I'm not a big fan of the guy doing the presentation), and shows a snippet of it almost happening neat the time I linked: https://youtu.be/KASqS__regU?t=366

I do wonder whether the other Marlins (336 in .30-30, or the .45-70s) have the possibility of a similar jam, or if the differences in those designs precluding such a thing.

[gato naranja]

I like the look and feel of the Marlins, and by all accounts the new Ruger-made Marlins have very good QC. The reason I don't consider it is because of the "Marlin jam" with the 1894 .357s, something I did get to see in person. This video explains it better than I could (though I'm not a big fan of the guy doing the presentation), and shows a snippet of it almost happening neat the time I linked: https://youtu.be/KASqS__regU?t=366

I do wonder whether the other Marlins (336 in .30-30, or the .45-70s) have the possibility of a similar jam, or if the differences in those designs precluding such a thing.

AFAIK, the "Marlin jam" potentiality is baked into the pie (so to speak) regardless of model. That being said, some people never seem to experience it; I carefully stone many of the "knife edges" on Marlin internals including the potential bad actor on the "snail." Maybe that is like whistling past the graveyard, but apart from one example made around 2000 I personally don't seem to have the issues some others do. I will not rule out dumb luck.

All levergun designs have their idiosyncrasies, not just Marlins. In my own case I have had 92s whose lever-to-breechblock pin gets unaccountably displaced a smidge and ties the thing up tight, 73 euro repops that shear off this or that screw (or get a quick case of the headspace blues), Henrys that mysteriously start feeding poorly...
Good points, weak points. Sort of like the tractor truisms back in the day when - for example - John Deeres had cooling issues and IH Farmalls had sub-par brakes. You made your pick and took your chances.

For true durability and reliability in extremis, I wouldn't trust any levergun like I would a 98 Mauser. Ease and speed of use is a whole 'nother matter, and as far as intangibles like "personality" and "cachet" go, I think bolt guns pretty much suck.

[SwampDweller]

AFAIK, the "Marlin jam" potentiality is baked into the pie (so to speak) regardless of model. That being said, some people never seem to experience it; I carefully stone many of the "knife edges" on Marlin internals including the potential bad actor on the "snail." Maybe that is like whistling past the graveyard, but apart from one example made around 2000 I personally don't seem to have the issues some others do. I will not rule out dumb luck.

All levergun designs have their idiosyncrasies, not just Marlins. In my own case I have had 92s whose lever-to-breechblock pin gets unaccountably displaced a smidge and ties the thing up tight, 73 euro repops that shear off this or that screw (or get a quick case of the headspace blues), Henrys that mysteriously start feeding poorly...
Good points, weak points. Sort of like the tractor truisms back in the day when - for example - John Deeres had cooling issues and IH Farmalls had sub-par brakes. You made your pick and took your chances.

For true durability and reliability in extremis, I wouldn't trust any levergun like I would a 98 Mauser. Ease and speed of use is a whole 'nother matter, and as far as intangibles like "personality" and "cachet" go, I think bolt guns pretty much suck.

It's my understanding that the "Marlin jam" with the .357 1894 has to do with the round not being controlled feeding (And thus if you short stroke it just a little bit, or are sluggish on the closing of the lever, it can have a serious jam), whereas the jam with other models have to do with the carrier wearing out. It is my understanding that the '94 pistol caliber jam can happen regardless of round count/wear. Or maybe the two are connected, I don't know. I'm far from a Marlin expert.

[Malamute]

I have little or no experience with the marlin jam. I had a 1970s period marilin 1894 in 357, it had some sort of feed issue that required it to be taken apart to clear. I nevr did figure out how or why it happened, but soured me somewhat on the gun and marlins in general. I eventually sold the gun, I never did shoot it much after that, and not huge amounts before, it was a small game shooter to me. It was only one factor in why I eventually dropped marlins as general carry guns. Id never heard of the marlin jam at the time and it was decades later before i did.

Ive had a few other somewhat minor quirks come up with marlins, one or two that didnt seem to make sense, but happened regardless of my ability to understand why. If I was more of a fan or there were less choices in lever guns I would perhaps have overlooked the issues and stayed with them, as it were, there were other choices in levers that I had better experiences with and liked more overall for various reasons, so the marlins faded out in my use.